Characterization of milk properties with a radiative transfer model.

To characterize milk through light-scattering measurements, a semianalytical radiative transfer model was used to simulate the backscatter of light in milk having homogenized fat levels from 0.05 to 3.2 wt. %. The input parameters to the model include the incident wavelength, refractive index of particles and medium, and particle number densities. By varying the wavelength, we can obtain a reasonable fit between experimental data and the model for lower fat milks. Results indicate that the model is most sensitive to the particle diameter and size distribution and less sensitive to the number and index of refraction of the particles.